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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

And the obsession with pizza continues...this time in the form of a cauliflower crust. Don't run away! I'll admit that I was a little wary of this recipe myself -- I had seen it so many times on the internet but it still took me months to try it. And when I told my husband what we were having for dinner that night, he was skeptical, too. But after all of our hesitation, we really enjoyed this pizza! It is a great alternative to traditional style pizza and happens to be gluten-free, too.

Truth be told, the crust doesn't even taste like cauliflower. I don't think it has a strong taste of anything -- it's more of a vehicle for whatever toppings you choose. We went with the classic margherita pizza. (With basil from our garden! Trust me, that's a big deal that something edible is actually growing in our garden.) However, I could see how any kind of toppings would be great to use here.

Apparently, the secret to a crispier cauliflower crust is to get as much moisture out of the cauliflower puree as possible. While ours was crispy enough to pick up and eat the pieces by hand, I hope to get it even crispier next time.

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450ºF. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and thoroughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Cut off the florets—you don’t need much stem, just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow-like cauliflower. You should end up with about 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. (I used this method but I also read that you could grate your cauliflower or chop it very, very finely if you don't have a food processor.)

You can choose from two methods for cooking your cauliflower. Option 1: Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer. Option 2:Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Cook for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and wring it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped squeezed cauliflower into a bowl. Now add Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese, kosher salt, and oregano. Now add the egg and mix (hands tend to work best).

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. (Another site suggested making your dough about 1/3" high to give you an estimate.)

Using a cutting board, slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8-15 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown (mine was closer to 15). Remove from oven.

Add sauce, cheese, and toppings to your liking. Slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.